Thierry Henry’s disastrous start as coach of Monaco continued on Sunday as Edinson Cavani’s VAR-assisted hat-trick helped Paris Saint-Germain to an easy 4-0 win in the principality that saw them extend their perfect record in Ligue 1 this season.

Neymar netted a penalty to complete PSG’s victory, as they made it 13 wins from 13 league games under Thomas Tuchel, further stretching their start to the season that is a record in France and in Europe’s so-called big five leagues.

The result for them came after a week marred by revelations from French investigative website Mediapart that youth scouts at PSG had subjected potential signings to racial profiling over several years.

But while they go 13 points clear of second-placed Lille at the Ligue 1 summit, the club who have been their main challengers in recent seasons continued their deeply worrying slump, with Henry again left to look on helplessly from the touchline.

Champions in 2017, Monaco are in the relegation zone and five points away from outright safety having failed to win in six matches in all competitions since the Arsenal and France great took charge.

They have now gone 16 games without a win altogether, with this result following a 4-0 home reverse against Club Brugge which knocked them out of the Champions League.

Monaco are on their worst run in France’s top flight in 32 years, at a time when Football Leaks claims about their Financial Fair Play breaches and the arrest of their Russian billionaire owner Dmitry Rybolovlev on corruption charges have cast a further shadow over the club.

“We are playing for survival, nothing else,” said Henry, who has picked up a squad cursed by injuries.

– Injury curse –
Here he was missing a dozen players due either to injury or suspension at kick-off, while both Belgian international Nacer Chadli and his replacement Jordi Mboula had to come off hurt.

“We lost two more players tonight, so it is starting to become a lot,” he said, adding: “I am staying positive because even with all that we managed to create chances against PSG.”

The average age of his bench here was under 19, while his starting line-up featured a 17-year-old debutant in defence in Benoit Badiashile. It was little wonder that PSG — themselves showing six changes following their Champions League draw at Napoli — found the going so easy.

They went ahead in the fourth minute when Neymar drove the ball across goal for Cavani to convert.

The goal was initially disallowed before being given by the Video Assistant Referee, and the same thing happened in the 11th minute when Cavani turned the ball in again after the flag was wrongly raised for an offside against Moussa Diaby.

In contrast to those two goals, a fine Julian Draxler finish in first-half stoppage time was initially given before being disallowed on review.

However, Diaby squared for Cavani to complete his hat-trick in the 54th minute, and Neymar then rolled in a penalty after Kylian Mbappe had been fouled by France teammate Djibril Sidibe.

“I am very satisfied with the result, and with the fact we showed the hunger to win a 13th straight game. That is extraordinary,” said Tuchel.

“Monaco and Henry are in a very difficult situation with lots of players out injured. This wasn’t the night for Monaco to challenge us. They can do that if they have all their players back but not today.”

Elsewhere on Sunday, Lucas Ocampos and Adil Rami scored as Marseille bounced back from a run of four straight defeats to beat Dijon 2-0 on an emotional afternoon at the Velodrome.

A minute’s silence was held before kick-off in memory of the eight people killed when two buildings collapsed in the southern French city on Monday.

The result lifted Marseille up to sixth, back to within three points of third-placed Montpellier, who beat them 3-0 last weekend.

Bordeaux were held to a goalless draw by Caen, while Rennes drew 1-1 with local rivals Nantes.

PSG’s domination of Ligue 1 — they have won five of the past six championship titles — allows them to prepare well for their ultimate goal of winning Europe’s premier club competition.

But the Champions League has produced nothing but heartbreak for PSG and their Qatari owners, who have plunged millions in the club in the hope of creating one of the continent’s top sides.

PSG’s hopes ended at the quarter-finals four years in succession from 2013-2016, and at the last 16 in the past two campaigns.

Coach Unai Emery was fired last summer and left for Arsenal after failing to bring the trophy to Paris and new coach Thomas Tuchel has inherited the task of realising the dream.

Tuchel has brought the emphasis on teamwork to PSG’s training ground, said Cavani.

“He has a wonderful mentality and likes to win with a strong team structure,” said the 31-year-old, voted PSG player of the year in 2017.

“He wants everyone to play together and that is what is important for me.”

– All together –
Cavani cited Atletico Madrid and Juventus as clubs who play together with the kind of robust, disciplined teamwork that Tuchel is trying to instil into PSG.

“That does not mean that we (PSG) do not work together,” said Cavani, whose star has declined since fellow strikers Neymar, the world’s most expensive player, and teenage sensation Mbappe joined him in attack.

But Cavani denied there was friction.

“We are a work in progress,” he said. “That does not mean I don’t get on with Neymar or Mbappe. I hope that work with the new coach can give the perfect structure to produce a big season — all together.”

After defeat at Liverpool and being held 2-2 by Napoli last time out, a win at the San Paolo stadium will be crucial if PSG are to make it past the group stages.

But before facing his former club, Cavani said: “It will be good match to show that we have moved up to a higher level, and that we are able to deal with this kind of pressure — because if we lose, that will make it tough for us to get out of the group stage.”

Appearing in Monaco to receive the Golden Foot award for oustanding athletic ability and personality, Cavani told AFP he had shrugged off a recent thigh injury and expected to play in PSG’s home league match against Lille on Friday.

Lille sit eight points behind PSG in second place with Montpellier, who host Marseille in Sunday’s late game, three points further behind in third.

Lyon occupy the fourth and last qualifying spot for the Champions League but are 13 points adrift of PSG before hosting Bordeaux in Saturday’s early game.

Uruguay's forward Edinson Cavani celebrates after scoring his team's second goal during the Russia 2018 World Cup round of 16 football match between Uruguay and Portugal. Photo: AFP

Uruguay striker Edinson Cavani was ruled out of the World Cup quarter-final against France in Nizhny Novgorod on Friday because of injury.

Cristhian Stuani, a former Middlesbrough striker, was drafted in to replace Cavani after he failed to recover in time from the calf muscle injury he sustained in the 2-1 win over Portugal last Saturday, when the Paris Saint-Germain forward scored both goals.

Cavani was listed as “injured” in the official FIFA starting line-ups.

France also had to make a change, bringing in Corentin Tolisso because of Blaise Matuidi’s suspension. Matuidi picked up a second yellow card for the tournament in France’s thrilling 4-3 victory over Argentina.

Bayern Munich midfielder Tolisso is preferred to Lyon’s Nabil Fekir. It is only Tolisso’s 12th start for his country.

Starting line-ups for the World Cup quarter-final between France and Uruguay in Nizhny Novgorod on Friday (1400 GMT kick-off):

Uruguay's forward Edinson Cavani celebrates after scoring his team's second goal during the Russia 2018 World Cup round of 16 football match between Uruguay and Portugal. Photo: AFP

Edinson Cavani trained lightly on Thursday, but his coach would not be drawn on whether the Uruguay forward had recovered sufficiently from injury to have a chance of being fit for Friday’s World Cup quarter-final with France.

Cavani, 31, scored two goals in the Round of 16 win over Portugal, then limped off with a calf injury and has been fighting to get fit in time for the showdown in Nizhny Novgorod.

Cristhian Stuani is likely to replace him in attack if needed, alongside the veteran Luis Suarez.

Monday sees Neymar and Brazil face Mexico in Samara with many tipping the five-time champions to go all the way and lift the trophy in Moscow on July 15.

Neymar, who suffered a broken metatarsal in February, has not quite been at his sparkling best so far in this tournament but Silva hopes the forward can follow in the footsteps of his PSG colleagues.

“Yesterday when the games were over I thought the same thing, that in our game it’s going to be with Neymar,” Silva told a media conference.

“They [Cavani and Mbappe] were both fundamental for the victories, even if [Angel] Di Maria was eliminated he played very well.

“PSG were well represented but we’re talking about the national team and I think we’re well balanced.

“In the right moments the attackers have the freedom to do what they do best…we hope tomorrow is a great day and Neymar is inspired, like the other players.”
At the World Cup on home soil four years ago, Brazil were subjected to an infamous 7-1 semi-final humiliation at the hands of eventual champions Germany.

Had Die Mannschaft pipped Mexico to second spot in Group F, Monday’s clash would have been a repeat of that meeting, but Silva brushed aside suggestions his side would have preferred the chance for revenge over Joachim Low’s men.

“After the last match people were asking a lot about Germany, I don’t think we have to worry about Germany and what happened,” Silva said.

“Football is to be played, the less you talk the better it is. Of course they are a team that didn’t make it, like Argentina and Portugal.

“I don’t think we have to focus on Germany, Germany belongs to the past and we cannot reverse history. We have to live match to match and seize the opportunities, like the match tomorrow.”

Paris Saint-Germain's Uruguayan forward Edinson Cavani (L) celebrates after scoring a goal with Paris Saint-Germain's French forward Kylian Mbappe during the French L1 football match between Angers and Paris Saint-Germain. Photo: AFP

The injured Neymar was left at home as Edinson Cavani reached a century of goals in Ligue 1 with a brace in Paris Saint-Germain’s 5-0 romp away to Angers on Saturday.

The world’s most expensive player sat out the game at the Stade Raymond Kopa with a minor thigh problem picked up in the midweek Champions League win over Anderlecht but he was not missed as PSG went provisionally seven points clear at the top of the table from Monaco.

Kylian Mbappe and Julian Draxler both scored early goals and Cavani netted his 100th in France’s top flight on the half-hour mark.

The Uruguayan scored again on the hour mark before Mbappe grabbed his second of the day late on to take him to six goals in 12 appearances for the club.

A second successive five-goal victory for PSG means they remain unbeaten in all competitions this season, while Angers are still without a win at home.

As well as Neymar, PSG were without Marquinhos and Angel Di Maria, whose partners have both given birth in recent days. Coach Unai Emery therefore opted to give a first start since August to Javier Pastore.

PSG’s opener arrived inside five minutes as Mbappe turned in a Dani Alves cross from the right, and it was 2-0 before quarter of an hour had been played.

Again Alves was the provider with a delightful through ball for Draxler, who beat Mathieu Michel with a clipped first-time finish.

– Select club –

The third goal that allowed Cavani to reach his century came at the end of a brilliant move, with Alves finding Adrien Rabiot, who released Mbappe to showcase his lightning pace and set up Cavani to blast home.

Cavani, signed from Napoli in 2013, reached the landmark on his 145th Ligue 1 appearance and joins a select club in having scored 100 times in two of Europe’s big five leagues having also achieved the feat in Serie A.

The only others to have done so are Gonzalo Higuain (Spain and Italy) and Zlatan Ibrahimovic (France and Italy).

He is also well on course to catch Ibrahimovic as the club’s all-time top scorer in the league, with the Swede hitting 113 in his four seasons with the club.

Cavani hit his 101st — his 13th of this season — in trademark fashion, starting his run in the right-back position and bursting forward to collect a Draxler pass before toe-poking home.

Mbappe completed the rout as he rounded Michel and scored from a tight angle after being released by Lucas Moura.

Reigning champions Monaco can close back to within four points of PSG at the summit with a win at home to Guingamp later (1900 GMT).

Claudio Ranieri’s Nantes host Toulouse looking for a win that will take them back up to third above Lyon, who go to derby rivals Saint-Etienne on Sunday.

Sunday also sees Marseille host Caen in what could be a tense atmosphere in their first outing since Patrice Evra was suspended by the club for aiming a karate kick at the head of one of his team’s own supporters.

Evra was red-carded after the incident, which occurred in the pre-match warm-up before Thursday’s Europa League clash with Vitoria Guimaraes in Portugal.

Paris Saint-Germain coach Unai Emery refused to name his first-choice penalty taker on Thursday, after Neymar and Edinson Cavani’s apparent falling out against Lyon last week.

The Ligue 1 leaders travel to Montpellier on Saturday looking to make it seven straights wins to kick off the season, after smashing spending records in the close season to compile the fearsome ‘MCN’ front line of Neymar, Cavani and Kylian Mbappe.

But the South American pair disagreed over who should take a penalty in the 2-0 win over Lyon, before Cavani saw his effort saved by Anthony Lopes, with Neymar appearing to walk away shaking his head in disgust.

“The two players who will be taking the penalties are Cavani and Neymar,” Emery told a press conference on Thursday.

“(That is) because they’re capable of assuming this responsibility, but other players can take them.

“During training we practice penalties because when the decisive moment arrives and we can win a title with penalties, we will need more than two.

“Last year, the penalty taker was Cavani, this year with the arrival of Neymar there are two. Who is number one and who is number two, I will make that decision.”

Despite the furore over the penalty drama, PSG have been in irresistible form and lead reigning champions Monaco by three points at the top of the early table.

However, Spaniard Emery may opt to make some changes for the trip to Montpellier with Wednesday’s Champions League clash against Bayern Munich in mind.

Monaco kick off the weekend action with a trip to Marcelo Bielsa’s struggling Lille on Friday.

Leonardo Jardim’s principality outfit bounced back from a shock 4-0 thrashing at Nice by seeing off Strasbourg 3-0 last week, with Radamel Falcao’s brace taking him to nine league goals for the season already.

Monaco welcome Porto to the Stade Louis II in the Champions League on Tuesday, but Jardim ruled out making wholesale changes.

“My message doesn’t change: the next match is the most important,” he said.

“It’s not possible for a player to save himself for the Champions League. If he does, he could also miss out on that match.”

The reported move follows the clash between the duo over set pieces in the match against Lyon at the weekend. Neymar had nicked the ball when Cavani was lining it up for a free-kick.

The Brazillian forward tried to do something similar when Cavani stepped forward to take a penalty. But the Uruguayan refused to hand it over before seeing his spot-kick saved by the opposition goalie.

Neymar’s fellow Brazilian Dani Alves was also spotted trying to help his compatriot out by shielding Cavani from the ball.

The Uruguayan reacted very badly at the end of the match, it was reported.
The match ended 2-0 in favour of PSG

Within 20 minutes of the final whistle, Cavani had already packed his bags and left the Parc des Princes, The Sun UK reported.

He also decided to skip the mixed zone and the rest of his team by sneaking out using one of the stadium’s back entrances.

And now Neymar has responded by unfollowing Cavani on social media, which suggests there’s already trouble in paradise.

But PSG coach, Unai Emery thinks everything is under control.

The UK news website quoted him as saying: “I have told them to sort it out between themselves.”

Paris Saint Germain forward Edinson Cavani reacts after receiving the French players' Ligue 1 Player of the Year award during the 26th edition of the UNFP (French National Professional Football players' Union) trophies ceremony at the Pavillon d'Armenonville in Paris. Photo: AFP

Paris Saint-Germain’s Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani was voted French players’ player of the year on Monday with Monaco striker Kylian Mbappe winning the under-21’s title.

Cavani has flourished in the absence of departed Zlatan Ibrahimovic and has notched up 35 league goals so far since moving into the centre forward slot from the wing where he was exiled while the giant Swede was around.

Mbappe, just 18, has had a sensational break out year, especially since the winter break, while his coach at Monaco, Leonardo Jardim, won the coach’s award.

Paris Saint-Germain's Uruguayan forward Edinson Cavani reacts after missing a shot during the French L1 football match between Paris Saint-Germain vs Montpellier at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris on April 22, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / FRANCK FIFE

Star Uruguay forward Edinson Cavani has signed a two-year contract extension with Paris Saint-Germain until 2020, the French champions revealed on Tuesday.

“This contract extension reaffirms the very strong confidence Edinson Cavani has in our project,” said PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi of the 30-year-old, PSG’s top scorer with 44 goals this season.

“It was always clear, as I’ve always said, that my absolute desire was to continue my story with Paris, their fans and everyone working hard to make them one of the best clubs in the world,” said Cavani, who has been liberated this season following the departure of Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Cavani’s extension gives him the opportunity to surpass Ibrahimovic as the top scorer in PSG’s history if he continues in anything like this season’s goalscoring vein.

He has scored 125 times in 192 games for PSG while Ibrahimovic holds the club record of 156 goals, although from just 180 games.

“I have great belief in my club’s ability to achieve all of its objectives,” added Cavani.

“All together we will have have some huge ambitions to share in the coming years.”